MSD Mount vernon

Dr. Elizabeth Johns is the Director of Curriculum, Grants, and Testing for MSDMV.  Beth has been an educator for 32 years, the last seven years at MSDMV and EVSC prior to that. 

Earning an elementary education degree with a science minor from USI, she taught eight years at Vogel Elementary School.  Her ISU Master's Degree in Educational Administration propelled her administrative career.  She became assistant principal at Highland Elementary from 1997- 2000, principal at Tekoppel Elementary from 2000 - 2005.  While principal at Highland Elementary from 2005 - 2014, Beth earned a Doctoral Degree from ISU.  In 2014, she began her MSDMV career as principal at Farmersville Elementary until 2019.  While administration has been consumed the majority of her career, Beth still enjoys working directly with students and believes establishing and cultivating the educator/student relationship is a key to student success.  Being with the students is the fun part of the job!

Each STEM component helps students receive a well-rounded education.

STEM is important because it allows students to learn required, academic content in a collaborate and engaging way. It forces students to think outside of the box and use real-world skills to solve problems that they encounter in their lives.

I teach STEM because it allows students to truly engage in their learning because they are actually interested in the problems and solutions. I also teach STEM because it allows students to develop real world skills they will need everyday both in their academic careers and in the work force.

By integrating STEM, students are able to develop collaborative, creative thinking, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. These skills not only lead these students to be more successful in the classroom, but they also allow the students to be more productive and successful outside of the classroom in the real world.

"STEM is such a crucial piece of education! As STEM careers grow more necessary and widespread every day, it becomes increasingly important to educate our students about what STEM really is and how integrated it is into our everyday lives. 

With STEM, students can take an active, hands on approach with their learning, and challenge themselves in ways they never dreamed possible. I teach STEM because it inspires a love for learning, it opens students up to concepts that they may have never thought of, and it strengthens critical thinking skills, collaboration, and motivation!"

I chose to switch to STEM after teaching 1st grade for 8 years. I am a HUGE fan of Project Lead The Way and currently a Lead Teacher for PLTW. STEM is much more than learning about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. STEM promotes teamwork among students and the teacher. It gives students a chance to express their creativity and share it with others. STEM allows students to fail greatly and then learn that failing is an important part of the learning process. Not everyone get it right the very first time. STEM helps build life skills to ensure that students can be successful once they are out in the workforce.

STEM Education is essential in our schools because it fosters 21st century skills that are needed for our students to be successful learners. Thinking critically, problem solving, and collaborating with peers are three skills that are taught and enhanced through STEM lessons and activities. When I was a classroom teacher, I would plan STEM activities to increase student engagement with a particular topic or set of standards. One benefit that I noticed during STEM activities is certain students would excel in an activity that didn’t usually excel in less hands-on learning opportunities in my classroom. STEM allows students to be creative and show their strengths in ways that more traditional lessons sometimes do not. It is an awesome teaching experience to watch a less than successful student become a leader and expert during a STEM project. For these reasons, I believe STEM integration at all grade levels is an important part of our students' learning opportunities.

Julie Kissinger is a K-12 District eLearning/Curriculum Coach for MSD Mount Vernon Schools.

My experience includes 38 years in K, 1, 2, 5, and 6th grades. I also served 4 years as the eLearning and curriculum coach. After retiring with 42 years experience, I returned to help with virtual learning. This year I serve as a coach for our terrific STEM team of teachers.

Preparing students for a future that we can't see is a difficult task. We must prepare them with the soft skills (critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, problem solving, and leadership) they need to be successful in a world where science, technology, math, and engineering will be even more demanding. STEM activities can do that! STEM is the future. STEM is real-world. STEM is project-based and community-based learning. STEM is fun!